2nd grade nonfiction passage about mosaics: 114 words, five questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
2nd gradenonfictionmosaics114 words
Making a Picture from Broken Tiles
A mosaic is a picture made from many tiny pieces. The pieces can be bits of tile, glass, or stone. Each piece is called a tessera.
An artist begins with a plan. First, the artist draws the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads a thin layer of glue. Then the small pieces are pressed into the glue, one by one. Pieces of the same color go together, so the shapes are easy to see.
Last, the gaps between the pieces are filled. This holds everything in place and makes the surface smooth.
If you stand close, you see little pieces. If you step back, the pieces blend into one big picture.
Questions
What is a mosaic? in the text
What is one piece of a mosaic called? in the text
What does the artist draw on the board first? in the text
What is spread on the board before the pieces go on? in the text
Why does a mosaic look different up close and far away? think about it
Words to know
mosaic
a picture made from many small pieces
tessera
one small piece in a mosaic
tile
a flat piece of baked clay or stone
gaps
empty spaces between things
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Making a Picture from Broken Tiles
2nd grade reading passage
A mosaic is a picture made from many tiny pieces. The pieces can be bits of tile, glass, or stone. Each piece is called a tessera.
An artist begins with a plan. First, the artist draws the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads a thin layer of glue. Then the small pieces are pressed into the glue, one by one. Pieces of the same color go together, so the shapes are easy to see.
Last, the gaps between the pieces are filled. This holds everything in place and makes the surface smooth.
If you stand close, you see little pieces. If you step back, the pieces blend into one big picture.
Questions
What is a mosaic?
What is one piece of a mosaic called?
What does the artist draw on the board first?
What is spread on the board before the pieces go on?
Why does a mosaic look different up close and far away?
Words to know
mosaic: a picture made from many small pieces
tessera: one small piece in a mosaic
tile: a flat piece of baked clay or stone
gaps: empty spaces between things
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/2/making-a-picture-from-broken-tiles
Share
One passage, three levels
The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.
● Easier · 95 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8
A mosaic is a picture made of many tiny pieces. The pieces can be tile, glass, or stone. One piece is called a tessera.
The artist makes a plan. First, the artist draws the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads glue. Then the pieces are pressed into the glue, one by one. Pieces of one color go together. The shapes are easy to see.
Last, the gaps are filled. This holds the pieces in place. The top is smooth.
Up close, you see small pieces. Far away, you see one big picture.
▲ This passage · 114 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2
A mosaic is a picture made from many tiny pieces. The pieces can be bits of tile, glass, or stone. Each piece is called a tessera.
An artist begins with a plan. First, the artist draws the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads a thin layer of glue. Then the small pieces are pressed into the glue, one by one. Pieces of the same color go together, so the shapes are easy to see.
Last, the gaps between the pieces are filled. This holds everything in place and makes the surface smooth.
If you stand close, you see little pieces. If you step back, the pieces blend into one big picture.
■ Harder · 131 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.2
A mosaic is a picture that has been assembled from hundreds of tiny pieces. The pieces may be bits of tile, glass, or stone, and every single piece is called a tessera.
An artist begins with a careful plan. First, the artist sketches the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads a thin layer of glue across the board. Then the small pieces are pressed into the glue one at a time. Pieces of the same color are grouped together so that the shapes are easy to recognize.
Finally, the gaps between the pieces are filled in. This holds everything firmly in place and leaves the surface smooth.
When you stand close, you notice only the little pieces. When you step back, they blend together into one large picture.
A mosaic is a picture made of many tiny pieces. The pieces can be tile, glass, or stone. One piece is called a tessera.
The artist makes a plan. First, the artist draws the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads glue. Then the pieces are pressed into the glue, one by one. Pieces of one color go together. The shapes are easy to see.
Last, the gaps are filled. This holds the pieces in place. The top is smooth.
Up close, you see small pieces. Far away, you see one big picture.
Questions
What is a mosaic?
What is one piece called?
What does the artist draw on the board first?
What goes on the board before the pieces?
Why does a mosaic look different up close and far away?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Making a Picture from Broken Tiles
A mosaic is a picture made from many tiny pieces. The pieces can be bits of tile, glass, or stone. Each piece is called a tessera.
An artist begins with a plan. First, the artist draws the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads a thin layer of glue. Then the small pieces are pressed into the glue, one by one. Pieces of the same color go together, so the shapes are easy to see.
Last, the gaps between the pieces are filled. This holds everything in place and makes the surface smooth.
If you stand close, you see little pieces. If you step back, the pieces blend into one big picture.
Questions
What is a mosaic?
What is one piece of a mosaic called?
What does the artist draw on the board first?
What is spread on the board before the pieces go on?
Why does a mosaic look different up close and far away?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Making a Picture from Broken Tiles
A mosaic is a picture that has been assembled from hundreds of tiny pieces. The pieces may be bits of tile, glass, or stone, and every single piece is called a tessera.
An artist begins with a careful plan. First, the artist sketches the picture on a flat board. Next, the artist spreads a thin layer of glue across the board. Then the small pieces are pressed into the glue one at a time. Pieces of the same color are grouped together so that the shapes are easy to recognize.
Finally, the gaps between the pieces are filled in. This holds everything firmly in place and leaves the surface smooth.
When you stand close, you notice only the little pieces. When you step back, they blend together into one large picture.
Questions
What is a mosaic?
What is each individual piece of a mosaic called?
What does the artist sketch on the board first?
What is spread across the board before the pieces are pressed on?
Why does a mosaic look different from up close and from far away?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Making a Picture from Broken Tiles
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8)
A picture made of many tiny pieces.
A tessera.
The picture.
Glue.
Close up you see small pieces, and far away they make one picture.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 3.2)
A picture made from many tiny pieces.
A tessera.
The picture.
A thin layer of glue.
Close up you see small pieces, and from far away they blend into one picture.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.2)
A picture assembled from many tiny pieces.
A tessera.
The picture.
A thin layer of glue.
Up close you see the little pieces, and from far away they blend into one large picture.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put mosaic, tessera, tile and gaps on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 1 minute to read aloud.
Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.
What reading level is "Making a Picture from Broken Tiles"?
It was written for 2nd grade. It has 114 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 3.2. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.
What do the questions ask?
There are five. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 1 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.
How long does it take to read?
About 1 minute read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.
Can I print it?
Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.
Is this passage from a published book?
No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.
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